President Santa J. Ono announced at the UC Board of Trustees meeting on April 23 his recommendation that in-state tuition for the 2013-14 fiscal year be frozen at this year's levels and that UniversityMore >>

President Santa J. Ono announced at the UC Board of Trustees meeting on April 23 his recommendation that in-state tuition for the 2013-14 fiscal year be frozen at this year's levels and that University House be sold with the proceeds to be directed to an endowment fund for student scholarships.More >>

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) -

The University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees approved the 2014 budget on Tuesday.

The board officially approved the renovation and expansion of Nippert Stadium.

The renovation and expansion project, which is estimated to cost $80-85 million in total, will utilize private donations and premium seating revenues to fund the project over a period of years. No University general funds will be allocated.

"Today is a tremendous day for Cincinnati athletics," Babcock said. "Our Board of Trustees and Dr. Ono have allowed us to move forward with our unprecedented project to Nippert Stadium and I am sincerely grateful for their leadership and vision. This transformational campaign will allow us to create critical new revenue streams to benefit all 19 sports programs through the sale of premium seating opportunities while also improving a variety of fan amenities such as concessions, restrooms, and concourse traffic flow.

The renovation is targeted to be completed in 2015. Earlier this month, crews began removing the old turf from the field.

Design work is still ongoing and the overall stadium capacity upon completion is not finalized but it is estimated Nippert Stadium will have a capacity of approximately 40,000.

Potentially, all 2014 home games would need to be moved due to construction at Nippert Stadium. Paul Brown Stadium is being considered as an alternate site during this one-year transition during the project. More information will be released as it becomes available.

"We have 26 months to get this done and we want to get it right," Babcock said. "We look forward to beginning this exciting chapter in our history and communicating with our fan and donor base regularly along the way."

The board also approved the contract for new football coach Tommy Tuberville.

Also on Tuesday, the board approved the recommendations made by President Santa Ono in April. Those recommendations include an in-state tuition freeze, no salary or bonus increases for Ono and the sale of the University House with the proceeds to be directed to an endowment fund for student scholarships.